Cry of the Dunedain
by Kassandra85
Summary: Thorins and Bilbos friendship survived the Battle of the Five Armies. Thorin survived the Battle of the Five Armies. But he lost something as precious as his friendship and his life. This is a story about what happens when hurt awakens more dark feelings. Jealousy, grief and hatred. Sort of Thorin/Bilbo/OC triangle. Changed rating.
1. Chapter 1

**_I apologise that this is another 'Thorin is a jerk' story again, but apparently there is too few drama in my own life, so I write some dark fanfics...lol_**

**_I only own Gaia. This story is about the time when hurt goes so deep that it changes people. Thorin made a mistake and Gaia will make mistakes, too. Thats life and nobody is perfect._**

**_This is an experiment, so please review! Any sort of critisism is welcome! _**

_Prologue_

Thorin had apologised to his burglar. After he had survived the Battle of the Five Armies he had set out for the Shire immediately and had apologised in person. Bilbo had been delighted to see his friend and king and the few of the company who had come with him. Dwalin, Bofur and the Ri brothers had accompanied Thorin on his second quest. Fili, Kili and Balin had stayed in Erebor to watch over the restoration and Oin, Gloin, Bifur and Bombur had travelled back to the Blue Mountains to accompany their families to Erebor.

Only one of the company which had set out of the Shire to reclaim Erebor was missing. In fact, two, because Gandalf had travelled south to Gondor to warn the steward of the growing danger from Mordor. With the wizard gone, the only one who was still missing was Gaia. The female Dunedain ranger, who was never mentionned in any legends nor tales. The woman who had been at Thorins side during their journey and was cast away by his goldsickness. The woman who had loved Thorin and who Thorin had loved back, but had hurt deeply.

Thorin and Gaia had met in Bree, shortly before the quest for Erebor. The female Dunedain had rescued Thorin from two headhunters and had learned to handle the stubborn dwarf prince quickly. She saw the king he would become if the quest was successful. She saw the same doubts lingering in his mind as in the mind of the chieftain of her people, Aragorn, also known as Strider in towns as Bree. Aragorn was the heir to the throne of Gondor, but he was not ready to meet his fate. Thorin was the heir to the throne of Erebor, but he also had doubts. Sometimes he felt not worthy of the task which was appointed to him, to reclaim his homeland and to slay a dragon. Gaia had stayed by his side and had supported him and his quest with all her heart. Her willing heart. Her admiration for the dwarf prince turned to friendship and then to love. After their escape from Goblin town and Azog she had tended to Thorins wounds at Beorns and in the dungeons of Mirkwood she had told him that she had fallen in love. Thorin told her then, that he had fallen in love with her the moment she had appeared in Bree and had sat down at his table, courageous and brave, scaring the headhunters away with only her presence. He had not acted on his attraction, because he had not expected to be drawn to a female from the race of men. He had had various lovers in his life, some female, some male, some dwarves, some men, but he had never expected to find love in an Inn in Bree.

They had shared their first kiss in Laketown, after Thorin had revealed to the towns people who he was. The merry feast and also the high amount of alcohol had led to a passionate night in a long awaited bed. Thorin and Gaia had not slept at all that night, they had relished in the sight of each others bodies and had explored each other with their lips and hands. Thorin had initially planned to court Gaia properly, but both knew that the quest might claim their lives and did not want to wait. But the next day the two lovers had sworn that they would court each other properly once they had reclaimed Erebor.

As Thorin had to leave Fili and Kili behind in Laketown, Gaia was the one who saw his pain and his sorrow about his decision and assured him that he had done the right thing. She had taken his hand into hers and had offered him comfort.

At Durins Day, Gaia had been the one who had held Thorin back on the mountainside as the last sunlight of Durins Day had vanished. Remembering lord Elronds words in Rivendell and the fact that the map was written with moon runes, Gaia forebode that the moon would reveal the keyhole. She had forced Thorin and his dwarves to wait until the light of the moon shone upon the keyhole in the secret entrance. And then...their luck turned. As soon as the door had opened Thorin started to change. He did rush after Bilbo as the dragon had awaken, but only after Balin and Gaia had forced him to remember that Bilbo was not only their burglar, but their friend and part of the company. Gaia had followed him and had seen the look in his eyes as he looked upon the treasure of Erebor. She had watched in horror as Thorin had pointed his sword at Bilbo as the hobbit arrived without the arkenstone in his hands. During the struggle against the dragon Smaug, Thorin had been himself, but not for long.

Gaia had watched with worry as Thorin spent more and more time inside of the treasury after Smaug had left the mountain. She had tried to talk to him, to divert his thoughts and to lure him away from the gold. But Thorins lust for the gold had gotten stronger than his love for the woman, his friendship to the hobbit and the responsibility for his kin. The dwarf prince was lost.

As the armies of elves and men appeared in front of Erebors gates, all sanity had left Thorin and the madness made him see enemies at every corner. One day later, Bilbo revealed to him that he had stolen the arkenstone and had given it to the men to force Thorin to negociate with them. As Thorin grabbed the hobbit and hurled him over the edge of the balcony, Gaia was the only one who fought for the hobbit. With a desperate kick she made Thorin stumble backwards and saved the hobbit from crushing onto the rocks bellow them. In his rage Thorin had also grabbed Gaia by her throat and had looked at her with nothing but hatred in his eyes. But he had not killed her, although Gaia wished that he had. The dwarf prince banished them both from Erebor and from his heart. But Bilbo as well as Gaia had stayed loyal to him. They fought for him in the Battle of the Five Armies and had suffered own injuries. While Bilbo lay on the battlefield, unconscious from a falling rock, Gaia had charged Bolg as he went for Thorin and his nephews. Together with the elven captain of Mirkwood she shielded the heirs of Durin and saved their lives. Gaia was severely hurt by Bolg and had to be taken care of by the elves after the battle. As she awoke after battling her severe injuries and fever she heard that the dwarf prince had asked for the halfling and had begged for his forgiveness. He had not asked for her. Gaia was exhausted and feverish and Thorin turning only to the hobbit hurt her deeply. Little did she know that Thorin knew that she was alright - he had asked Nori, but he could not ask her forgiveness. He tried to punish himself for what he had done to her, not knowing that he hurt her even more with his behaviour. A deep and dark jealousy had filled Gaias heart and in her heartache she turned from the dwarves of Erebor as well as the hobbit. In the middle of the night Gaia packed a few things and left. Only Gandalf knew where she went and that she would not return. The only thing Gaia had left in Erebor, was her heart.


	2. Chapter 2

_The Shire_

Thorin was nervous as he knocked on the green door in Hobbiton for the second time in two years. Bilbo had already forgiven him on his supposed deathbed, but he had left before Thorin had been victorious over death. Thorin was not sure if the hobbit had only forgiven him because he was dying, so he followed him to the Shire. The hobbit was more than his friend, he was his companion. Thorin respected his opinion and needed him at his side, as his advisor and as his friend. The hobbits gentleness might keep Thorins hothead at bay. As the hobbit opened the door, the teacup in his hands landed on the floor as he looked upon the dwarf king and chattered into hundreds of pieces. Without a word he walked up to Thorin and threw his arms around the kings neck, sobbing into his shoulder. Thorin was his king and he had only left him because he felt like he did not belong in Erebor after Thorins death. Thorin let out a relieved sigh as the hobbits arms closed around him and pulled him close. The world became a better place as they walked inside and the door closed behind the dwarves and their hobbit. Nobody knew that it was the friendship to the burglar that had destroyed Thorins love.

'Tell me everything.' Bilbo sat down in his armchair in Bag End. Thorin, Bofur, Dwalin and the Ri brothers were sitting in his living room, drinking tea and catching up with their former burglar. 'Why did you leave Erebor again?'

'I left Erebor to see you.' Thorin admitted. 'To seek your forgiveness.'

Bilbo wanted to say something, but Thorin held up his hand. 'I have been blind in my lust for gold. I have done things and said things to you that you should never have forgiven me. You did forgive me, after the battle. But I needed to know if you really forgave me. With all your heart and not because I lay there, dying.'

'Indeed, I was told that you were dying, Thorin.' Bilbo sighed and thought about the pain he felt as the healers had told him that the dwarf prince would not survive the night. 'I could not stay and watch you die. I needed to remember you alive, so I left. I have forgiven you, Thorin. I had already forgiven you as you had banished me. It was not you who hurt me, it was your sickness. We were so proud of you as you charged out of Erebor in your mithril armor and surrounded by your loyal company. You had defeated the sickness and you defeated the army that threatened us all. All who believed in you, all who followed you have been proved right in their belief. They believed in you and they still do.'

Thorin lowered his gaze at the hobbits words. He still felt guilt about the way he had treated the hobbit, his burglar, his friend, but the hobbits words relieved him greatly. But he had also heard the choice of plural in the hobbits words and it reminded him of who he had lost.

'Now...tell me everything. How are the others?' Bilbo wanted to know. 'How are your nephews? How is Balin?'

'Fili took his rightful place as my heir on the throne of Erebor. Kili and Balin will support him until my sister arrives in Erebor. She will arrive with the first caravan. Bifur, Bombur, Oin and Gloin have travelled to the Blue Mountains to ensure the quick return of our people to Erebor.' Thorin informed the hobbit. 'Gandalf has left shortly after the battle and was not seen since. I have no idea where he went, but I am sure that he is fine.'

'What about Gaia? How is she?' Bilbo wanted to know. He had not seen the Dunedain since she had rushed into battle at his side.

Thorin remained silent, but the pain in his eyes was obvious. Dwalin cleared his throat and the Ri brothers bit their lips. Bofur was the one who talked first.

'The lass has left us. Tauriel, Kilis elf maid, told us that she was wounded by the orc scum Bolg in battle and had been in the elves care afterwards. That was the last she'd seen her.'

'She is dead?' Bilbo had misunderstood Bofurs answer. 'But...'

'She has left us, she is not dead.' Dwalin interrupted Bilbo. 'At least not that we know of.'

'What are you talking about? Why did she leave? I thought that she and Thorin...?' Bilbo looked at Thorin sheepishly, who closed his eyes in bitterness.

'I overheard Dori and Ori talking one night.' Bilbo admitted shyly. 'After we left Mirkwood Thorin and Gaia had been nearly inseperable. Ori drew a picture of them both as we were in Laketown. And Dori said that the first thing to celebrate in Erebor would be a wedding.'

'She left.' Thorins voice was hoarse with grief. 'She turned her back on me. And I deserved it. As much as I value our friendship, Bilbo, and as much as I regret having hurt you - I hurt her more. Gaia supported me with all her soul, with all her heart and I banished her along with you. She did nothing to me, she did not steal the arkenstone, she did not lie to me.' Bilbo lowered his gaze at Thorins words, although he knew that the dwarf had also forgiven him for his actions. 'Gaia saved me from doing something that I would have regretted all my life. If I had thrown you off the cliffs I would have never been able to live with the guilt. She saved my life that day, once again. Also yours. And I banished her along with you. Kilis elf maid told me that Gaia protected my unconsious body from Bolg and was injured in the process. As I woke up several days after the battle, Gaia was gone. You had also left after our talk. I felt lost and betrayed, but I understood in the end. I knew where to find you and now I am here.'

'And nobody knows where Gaia is now?' Bilbo asked. 'Maybe she went back to Bree?'

'We passed Bree on our way here.' Nori stated firmly. 'She has not been seen since the day she left with Thorin two years ago.'

'And thats it?' Bilbo was not ready to give up. 'Thorin, you loved her. You love her still, I can see it.'

'And what of it?' Thorin stood up and began pacing in Bilbos living room. 'I do not know where she is. She ran from me and she had every right to do so. I do not deserve her.'

'That is nonsense, Thorin.' Bilbo stood up and took Thorins arm to stop him from pacing. 'You deserve all the happiness and love in the world. But you have to fight for it, you can't wait for it to come to you.'

'I have no right to ask her to come back to me.' Thorin lowered his head in defeat. 'She left without looking back. I do not know where she is, nor do I have the right to know.'

Bilbo sat back in his chair. He could not believe that Gaia would have left without looking back. She had loved Thorin so much, it had been obvious. Even when Thorin had banished her, she had continued fighting for him. There had to be a reason why she had left. A reason which had hurt more than Thorins banishment.

**Sorry for the short chapters, but its better for the tension and the structure of the story that way. But the shorter the chapter, the more often an update ;)**


	3. Chapter 3

The caravan moved slowly. It seemed to be the first of the dwarven caravans moving from the Blue Mountains to Erebor. Heavy carts with all the dwarven posessions rolled over the narrow streets. Only a few dwarf soldiers protected the caravan. Apparently, the victory over the orcs and goblins at the Battle of the Five Armies had rendered the dwarves confident. Too confident.

Gaia frowned deeply as she watched the caravan move. Together with the other Dunedain rangers, she watched over the safety of the roads of the West. After she had fled Erebor, she had seeked refugee with her old comrades and had kept herself busy by hunting orcs. But nothing could distract her from her aching heart. Gaia thought about Thorin every moment of every day and it destroyed her. The former energetic and fun-loving woman had turned into a bitter and heartless warrior, captured in her own sorrow and grief. Of course, her old comrades had wondered where she had been, but she had told them nothing and after a while, nobody asked anymore. Her friends worried about her, but Gaia hid behind her duties as a ranger. Gaia had no family anymore, her mother had died in childbirth and her father had been slain by orcs years ago. The rangers were her only family left, but Gaia seeked solitude. She walked through the forest and patrolled the streets, avoiding people who could ask questions. During the day Gaia tried to divert herself with the hunt for orcs, but at night her dreams tortured her. She dreamt about Thorin and relived the moment when he had looked at her with nothing but hatred in his beautiful blue eyes over and over again. Then she dreamt about the moment when she realised that the hobbit had been more important than her. Sometimes Gaia felt incredibly childish and unreasonable about her feelings. How could she judge Thorin for what he felt for the hobbit? Bilbo had saved his life and he had been a loyal companion. But then Gaia remembered that Thorin had asked for the hobbit on his deathbed, but not for her, the woman he claimed to love. Their love had been a lie. If he had loved her he would not have cast her out, he would not have banished her and he would have called for her instead of Bilbo. The deep hurt and the disappointment were louder than reason.

Shaking her head to clear her mind, Gaia focused on the caravan. A few hundred dwarves were heading back to their home, to Erebor. But the high number of dwarves in their caravan endangered them, the few soldiers would not be able to protect them all in an attack.

'We should follow them until they have passed the Misty Mountains.' one of the other rangers kneeled down beside Gaia in the shadows of the forest. 'Afterwards they are in reach of the Mirkwood realm.'

'Thranduil will never come to their aid.' Gaia remembered the hatred between the elves of Mirkwood and the dwarves. 'He would let them fall under the blades of the orc filth and watch.'

'We can't protect them until they reach the mountain.' the other ranger shook his head. 'We are too few.'

'But we can try.' Gaia was bitter, but she would never let dwarves die because of her feelings for only one. Feelings she tried to banish, just like he had banished her.

'Come back with me.' Thorin sat on the bench in front of Bag End at sunrise and shared a pipe with Bilbo. 'Come back with me, as my advisor.'

Bilbo looked at Thorin in surprise. 'Leave Bag End? The Shire? Again?'

'I know that this is your home.' Thorin took a deep breath before he continued speaking. 'But you do not feel at home here. Not anymore. I can see it in your eyes.'

Bilbo stared at his feet and laughed silently. 'You know me too well. Things have been different after I returned. Gandalf was right, I am not the same hobbit who left the Shire.'

'I am sorry.' Thorin looked at his friend in sorrow.

'What for?' Bilbo leaned back on the bench. 'It was my own decision to follow you. And is was worth it.'

They sat together silently for a while. The next day Bilbo left Bag End again, this time to maybe never come back.

The small group of dwarves and the hobbit reached Bree at the evening of their first day on the road. They stayed at the Prancing Pony for the night. Bilbo noticed that Thorin was more silent than usual and even more grumpy. He knew now, that this mood swing meant that something bothered the king. He followed Thorins gaze to a small table for two in the middle of the Inn.

'Gaia and I met at that table for the first time.' Thorin told the hobbit.

Bilbo nodded and laid his hand on the kings arm. 'The memory pains you...'

'Yes.' Thorin closed his eyes. 'It reminds me of what I have lost. But this memory is all I have left of her.'

_Thorin had entered the Prancing Pony on a rainy evening. Soaking wet he sat down by the fire at a small table and asked for someting to eat and an ale. The young barmaid hurried away through the mass of people, some drunk, some on their best way to get drunk. As she came back with his food and a pint of ale Thorin thanked her with a faint smile and dug into his food. He was hungry, for he had not eaten a good meal while on the road. He took a bite of the still warm bread, but his appetite faded as soon as he had swallowed. He felt two pairs of eyes burning into him, one from the right and one from the left. He saw two men sitting in the corners of the Inn, staring at him with a murderous expression. Thorin took a deep breath and grabbed for his sword which he always had in reach. One of the men stood up and headed towards him, but suddenly a movement in front of Thorin caught his attention. At first he thought that he might have to face a third aggressor, but when he looked upon the face of the woman who sat down at his table, he froze._

_'Mind if I join you?' the woman asked him with a smirk and sat down without waiting for the answer. She ordered some food herself while Thorin looked at her in astonishment. She was clad into mens clothes, dark trousers, dark tunics and a leather armor. A sword was hanging at her side and a bow was strapped to her back. Her long hair hung from her shoulder in a single thick braid. Shining brown eyes looked at him from a face with high cheekbones, a snub nose and sensual lips._

_One of the men who had stood up to charge at Thorin sat back down again with an insecure expression. He eyed the woman suspiciously and decided to stay put. Thorin let out a deep sigh of relief, for he had not wanted to cause a fight inside of the Inn. He had not been afraid of the man, he could have handled him easily. He had not said a word yet and the woman looked at the dwarf prince with an amused expression._

_'How impolite of me, I apologize. My name is Gaia, I am a ranger of the Dunedain.' the woman smiled at Thorin as she introduced herself. 'You are Thorin Oakenshield, son of Thrain, son of Thror?'_

_Thorin frowned at the woman, Gaia. 'How do you know who I am?'_

_'There are only a few dwarves in this region and it is my duty to know who travels down the roads of this lands.' the female ranger tilted her head at the dwarf. 'It is easy to track you. But you should be more careful. I ran into a few ill mannered bandits on my way here, they thought I was a defenseless girl...'_

_'I imagine they regretted that.' Thorin recognised a warrior when he saw one and that woman in front of him was not defenseless. Neither was she a mere girl. Thorin tried not to look at Gaia to obviously interested. She already fascinated him and he could barely look away from her beautiful eyes. But he would not let himself be ensnared by a woman from the race of men, that he told himself in that moment. He did not know her one bit and his sudden interest in her irritated himself._

_Gaia smirked at his remark and handed him a leather pergament over the table. 'They had this in their posession. It is dark speech. A payment is offered...for your head.'_

_The cold tone of her voice made Thorin pull back his hand with which he had reached for the pergament. Was she here to kill him? The dwarf prince stiffened, but he then realised that the female ranger looked at him with nothing but a worried frown._

_'And why is this of your interest?' Thorin asked more coldly than he wanted to._

_Gaia only smiled at him. 'You are the heir to the throne of Erebor. And I am a ranger, my duty lies in protecting the honorable folk who wander these lands.'_

_'I do not need any protection.' Thorin grumbled._

_'Is that so?' Gaia smiled at him. 'Your pride will be your downfall, prince Thorin. You will remember my words some day.'_

_And Thorin did remember her words today. Shortly afterwards Gaia had left the table without a word and had nodded at Gandalf who had sat down at Thorins table next. Gaia had walked out of the Inn, but not before glancing at the two headhunters menacingly. Thorin had seen her again the next day, as he set out for the South together with Gandalf. He did not ask why she accompanied them, for deep in his heart he was glad that she was with them, with him._

Bilbos heart almost tore apart as he saw the look on Thorins face. Slowly his hand moved over Thorins for comfort and he smiled as the dwarf king squeezed it slightly before he pulled away.

Gaia knew that something was wrong as soon as she emerged from the shadows with the other rangers. They had planned to follow the caravan to the Misty Mountains as their scouts returned and brought bad news. Orcs had been spotted on the road ahead and the dwarves were to run into a trap at a narrow passage of the road. Cursing under her breath Gaia covered her face and hid her female features under a cloak. They had to warn the dwarves.

The soldiers walking in the middle of caravan jumped as the rangers ran out of the shadows of the nearby forest and drew their weapons.

'Save your breath for the orcs!' Madril, the head of the group of ranger called out to them and held his hands up to show the dwarves that they meant no harm. Madril was from Gondor, he was a tall and authoritian and the dwarves lowered their weapons the second they heard his voice boom over to them.

'Who are you? What is the purpose of this?' one of the dwarves turned towards the ranger and eyed the men suspiciously.

'You are walking into a trap. There are orcs on the Eastern road, only a few miles ahead.' Madril warned the dwarves. 'They match you in number and force and you have women and children with you.'

The dwarf women who heard the rangers warning cried out in fear and pulled their children close. The soldiers protecting the caravan tried to stay calm, but Gaia could see the fear in their eyes. There was nowhere to go for the dwarves, the Eastern road would lead them straight home. There was another road leading north, but it was too narrow for the carts and it would take them several days if not weeks more to reach their destination.

'What is going on here? Why have you stopped us?' a deep but female voice cut through the tension. Gaia turned to see a tall female dwarf walk up to them from the end of the caravan. Her breath got stuck in her throat as she looked at the dwarf. Long raven black curls fell down her shoulders and bright blue eyes bore into the eyes of the rangers. Gaia felt her stomach clench painfully and she could not breath. This dwarf looked like Thorin. She was Dis, Filis and Kilis mother. Thorins nephews had told Gaia so much about her that Gaia felt as if she already knew her. Kili had promised his mother that he would live through the quest to return to her and he had kept true to that promise, with a little help from Tauriel. Gaia promised herself that day that she would safely guide Dis back to her sons...and her brother.


	4. Chapter 4

'We cannot linger, the road is not safe.' Dis looked up at Madril and straightened her shoulders. The tall ranger intimidated her and she did not like it.

'That is the purpose of our presence.' Madril told her. 'I take it that you are the leader of this caravan?'

Dis had the same natural authority Thorin had over others. It was their majestic aura and their confidence which made them born leaders.

'I am. My name is Dis, daughter of Thrain, son of Thror, princess under the mountain.' Dis bowed her head slightly and Gaia could not help but notice that even her movements were like Thorins. Gaia tried to catch Madrils eyes, for she did not want to reveal her gender by speaking. They could not waste any more time. Madril noticed her alarmed state and turned back to Dis.

'My lady, we need to leave this road now. A group of orcs has planned an ambush further down this road.' Madril informed the dwarf and ordered his rangers to retreat back into the forest. 'We will distract them, so that you can retreat to the great crossing a mile back. From there you can take the road to Rivendell. But you will have to leave your carts behind. Only take what you need.'

'All our posessions are on these carts.' Dis remarked, but she knew that they had no choice. 'Fine. We will turn around to the crossing. I thank you for your warning, master ranger.'

Madril only nodded and bowed before the dwarf lady before he left. Gaia looked at Thorins sister one last time and turned around to follow her fellow rangers. She was anxious and inattentive and her mind lingered with Dis and the caravan.

'You seem worried, Gaia.' Madrils words made Gaia jerk out of her thoughts.

'I had hoped that the Battle of the Five Armies would force the orcs away from our lands. But instead they swarm Middle Earth and are more dangerous than ever.' Gaia told him. It was only partly a lie. Azog was still alive and seeked for revenge. Gaia feared that he would hunt Thorin and his family until he died trying. Especially now since his son Bolg had fallen in battle against Thorin and his kin. At the same moment Gaia wondered why she even cared, but in her heart she knew. She still loved Thorin.

The rangers tracked down the orcs quickly. But the rangers were too few and so they only observed them, waiting for a chance to ambush the orcs themselves. They would only attack if the orcs followed the dwarves too soon. Gaia looked for Azog, for she was sure that these orcs were from his pack, but she did not see him. She understood the black speech and listened carefully. The orcs were wondering why the dwarven caravan did not pass them and got irritated. They started fighting one another and the rangers watched with a grim satisfaction.

'Gaia.' Madril turned towards the female ranger. 'I will return to our village with some of our men. Take the scouts and have an eye on the dwarves. We will meet again in a few days.'

Gaia nodded grimly and rushed back to the great Eastern road with the scouts. They knew all the shortcuts and the secret paths of Middle Earth and after two days they had reached the caravan again. The dwarves had taken as much with them as they could carry, for they had left the carts behind. Gaia winced as she saw female and younger dwarves with bent backs due to their heavy load. She remembered that the dwarves of Thorins company had often been exhausted from the heavy load of weapons they had carried with them until they had been stripped of all weapons in Mirkwood. Gaia smirked as she remembered how the elf who had disarmed Fili had nearly despaired because of the amount of knives Fili had hidden under his clothes. Kili had more fun during their encounter with the Mirkwood elves. He had met Tauriel for the first time. Gaia chuckled quietly as she remembered how the young dwarfs eyes had widened as he had seen Tauriel fighting off the spiders. At first Gaia had thought that he had been impressed by the elfs fighting skills, but now she knew that he had fallen in love in that moment. Gaia wondered when exactly she had fallen in love with Thorin.

_Gaia walked in the shadows of the great forest. She had tracked down a few bandits and waited until darkness to attack them. They were four and she was alone, but she would use the fact that everyone underestimated her. She was a woman, a smaller one at that and she looked harmless. Gaia had big brown eyes and a beautiful face. It distracted from her fierce character and her martial life. The female ranger sneaked up behind the bandits and listened to the black speech. Gaia was one of the few who understood and spoke the black speech because she did not fear it. The bandits were talking about a dwarf. He was the exiled prince of Erebor and wandered the wild as a blacksmith. He would be in Bree this evening and the bandits planned to ambush him before he reached the town. They were talking about someone named Azog, the Defiler, and about a payment that was offered for the dwarfs head. Gaia had heard enough. She stepped out of the shadows and shot two of the bandits before the other two even reacted. They fell under her sword only few moments later. One of the men had let go of a bit of pergament and Gaia took it into her hand. Thorin, son of Thrain, son of Thror. So this was the dwarf._

_Gaia entered the Prancing Pony long after sunset. She had run into the grey wizard on the road to Bree and they had talked for a while. The wizard was too nosy and curious for Gaias taste and she only told him what she thought was necessary. But he had been the one who had began talking about Thorin, as if he had known that Gaia had just protected him by slaying the bandits. He told her that he needed to talk to the dwarf prince about an important quest. Gaia promised him that she would send for him if she had found the prince in exile. The wizard disappeared as soon as they had passed the towns gates. The ranger did not need long to find out where the dwarf had gone. A person like him caught peoples eyes, no matter how careful he was. She had been told that Thorin would be in te Prancing Pony. She found him instantly. He had sat down with his back to te fire and smoked his pipe. He was handsome for a dwarf. Gaia had only met a few dwarven merchants before and they had all been round and hairy. Thorin was...Gaia walked closer to take a better look at him. He had a handsome face, a long nose, thin - but sensual - lips and stunning blue eyes. His hair fell over his broad shoulders in waves and Gaias gaze moved to his muscular lower arms and big hands. It was the first time that she wondered how it would be like to be touched by such callous and huge hands. Shocked by her own thoughts Gaia shook her head to clear her mind. There was no need to talk to him, but she was drawn to him by a force she could not understand. Slowly she walked over to him and sat down. She would never forget the moment when their eyes had first met. The dwarf prince had looked at her in surprise and mistrust, but then something in his eyes had changed and Gaia had felt warm. And not because of the fire._

_The next morning Gaia decided to follow the dwarf to the south together with the wizard. Thorin was on his way to the Blue Mountains to gather his kin for the quest. A quest to reclaim a homeland and slay a dragon. He would try to ask for reinforcement from all seven dwarven kingdoms. But Gaia already knew that it was futile. The dwarves were scathered over all of Middle Earth, there was no unity and no loyalty between the clans and they would not follow Thorin unless he posessed the arkenstone. Gaia had heard stories about this stone. The heart of the Lonely Mountain had been found by Thorins grandfather, Thror, and had been seen as a sign of his strong reign. All dwarves had sworn allegiance to the king who posessed the stone. And now, the stone lay underneath a pile of gold and a dangerous dragon, Smaug. The beast which had taken Thorins home, Erebor. Gaia had seen the pain over this loss in Thorins eyes as Gandalf told her the story on their way south. That evening Thorin had taken the first watch and Gaia knew that he wanted to be alone. He had barely acknowledged her presence during their journey, but he had not objected to her presence either. That had surprised Gaia at first, but then she had told herself that she should not be judgemental. Dwarves were known to be distrustful and introverted, but she would not condemn them because of this trait. After all that the dwarves had lived through, Gaia could not blame them. That night Thorin woke her to tell her that it was her turn for the watch. His hand had brushed her arm only slightly, but it had suficed to wake the ranger. In her startled state Gaia had held a dagger at Thorins throat and the dwarf had withdrawn his hands and held them up in defeat. Slowly Gaia had sat up, her dagger still in contact with Thorins skin. Their eyes had met and for a moment time had stood still. Gaia believed that it was the time when she began to fall for Thorin Oakenshield. It happened just like that, with no apparent reason, but it happened slowly. Gaia only realised months later what she really felt for the dwarf and it had almost been too late. They had barely escaped Goblin Town and if it had not been for their courageous burglar, Thorin would have died then and there. On a cold rock, far away from home._

Bilbo. Gaia felt a mixture of feelings when she thought of the halfling. He was her friend, a loyal and warm hearted friend. But there was also an ugly feeling inside of Gaias heart when she thought of Bilbo. Jealousy. Bilbo had set out on a quest with the dwarves and had helped to reclaim their homeland. He had stood his ground against the dragon and lateron in battle. But so had she. Yet, Thorin had only acknowledged the hobbit´s loyalty and not hers. Gaia felt pure hatred. But it was no hatred against Bilbo or Thorin. She hated herself for feeling the way she did.


	5. Chapter 5

Gaia watched Dis at the head of the caravan. She was so much like Thorin, but Gaia could see much of Fili and Kili in her, too. It were little things, like a smile or a look which remembered Gaia of the nephews of her love. Fili and Kili. Never Gaia had thought to become so close to others again, she had considered the company as her family during the quest. She had jested around with the two young dwarves, while Balin and Oin had been more the grandfather figures to her. She had accepted Ori like a kind of little brother and scolded Dori and Nori for always beeing so overprotective. Gloin had talked alot about his wife and son and Gaia would have loved to meet them both one day and find out if they were really so great as in Gloins stories. Gaia had only talked little to Bifur, Bofur and Bombur, but only because Bifur did not speek Westron and Bombur was always busy eating. Bofur had always been at Bilbos side and Gaia never had the chance to really talk to him. Dwalin was her favorite - well beside Thorin. For some reason Dwalin had been very fatherly towards her and Gaia had adored his rough shell, for she knew that he was truly warmhearted and loyal to his friends and family. Silently following the caravan, Gaia wondered if she would ever see one of Thorins company ever again.

Three days later the caravan was attacked. The orcs had followed the dwarves to the crossing and hunted them down. They were only few, but they rode wargs and attacked the end of the caravan in a furious speed. Gaia and the rangers lunged out of the forest and losened their arrows on the orcs, killing half of them before the dwarven soldiers reacted. It was a bloody attack, but thankfully no dwarf or ranger had died. After the attack Dis walked over to Gaia.

'Thank you, master ranger. Your help and the help of your fellow men are much appreciated, but we would rather have you accompany us in the open and not in hiding.' Dis was diplomatical, completely the opposite of Thorin. Thorin would have snapped at her for sneaking after themithout his knowledge. Gaia smiled under her cloak and the piece of cloth which covered her face. She only nodded and bowed as an answer and quickly left before Dis could guess why she did not speak. She did not want the dwarves to know that she was a woman. There were only few female rangers and Gaia did not want any of the dwarves to know where she was. But then again, who should ask.

Dis frowned as the ranger she had been talking to walked away. There was something about him which awoke her interest. But she could not put a finger on it. Following the ranger with her gaze Dis, daughter of Thrain, daughter of Thror, decided that she would watch this one closely.

Thorin and his small company stared at the abandonned carts in shock. They were from the Blue Mountains, some still had bags and food on them. The king of Erebor and his companions needed to know why they had been abandonned. There was no sign for a fight, but Thorin and his dwarves wer worried nevertheless.

'This is the fastest way to Erebor.' Dwalin looked ahead. 'There had to be a resaon why they left the carts behind.'

'There are no foot prints heading north.' Nori looked at the road beneath them. 'But there are prints leading back to the crossing.'

'Why did they turn around?' Ori asked timidly. 'The other road leads far into the East and it takes weeks longer to reach home.'

'There.' Nori pointed to the side of the road. Dead animals carcass and destroyed trees and bushes were a clear sign. 'Orcs. They must have followed them, thats why our kin had to turn around and leave the heavy carts behind.'

'Orcs. Thorin we need to hurry.' Bilbo was no warrior, but these dwarves were Thorins kin. He would fight alonside with his king to protect them.

'Du bekar! We need to find them before night time!' Thorin kicked his pony to a fast galopp and his company follow their king down the road to hunt down the orcs who threatened their people.

Bilbo had difficulties to stay in the saddle. He was no rider and the pony he rode this time was not the soft Myrtle had had ridden last time. He grabbed the ponies hair for dear life, not daring to show his panic. He did not want to slow them down and the hobbit felt like a burden once again. He winced as he remembered how their last journey had started.

'The orcs have followed us! They are fast and they will gain on us quickly.' one of Gaias rangers reported to her in the evening. She had sent him behind as a scout, for she knew that the orcs would move faster than them.

'We cannot outrun them.' Gaia mused and looked at the dwarves, moving slowly. 'There are caves a few hours from here. We need to reach them. We have no other choice.'

'You need to talk to the dwarf lady. She looks as if she does not want to let her people walk anoter step. The females and the young are exhausted.' the ranger told Gaia, who winced. But he was right. She had to talk to Dis and Dis had no idea who she was.

The dwarven princess slowed down as she saw the ranger clad in black leather walk over to her. He always had his cloak pulled deep into his face and a piece of cloth was covering his face. The way he walked and moved showed her that he was still young and strong. He moved very much like one of the mountains wildcats, very elegant and swiftly. Dis wondered why he covered his face. Maybe he was shy? Or he had scars over his face? Or he was even ugly? Dis frowned as she thought about what bothered her about this man. Then she took a closer look. And knew. He was no man.

'Lady Dis.' the ranger spoke to her quietly as he reached her. His voice could have been the voice of a younger man, but Dis could guess that it was not.

'My people need rest, master ranger.' Dis stated determinately. 'We have been walking all day and we are carrying all our belongings on our backs.'

Even the princess carried a lot of weight on her back. She was all the leader, like her brother.

'I apologise, my lady.' Gaia apologised. The princess had not said anything about her voice, so maybe she had not noticed. Or maybe she did not care. 'But we need to reach the caves a few miles ahead. The orcs follow our trail. We cannot fight them on the road and in the caves we are safe. My rangers and I will hide your trail, maybe the orcs will pass the caves without noticing us.'

Dis nodded and took a deep breath. She looked at her people and frowned. She did not know how much more some of them could take.

'My lady, I understand that you worry about your people. I can see that they are exhausted and tired.' Gaia told Dis firmly. 'But we have no other choice. If we stay on the road we risk losses.'

Dis nodded and smiled at the rangers honesty and forwardness. It was not rude to say so, it was the truth and necessary. She tilted her head and looked at the rangers eyes. It was the only part of his face which she could see. Warm brown eyes looked back at her, straight into her own eyes, not looking down or away. There was something in these eyes, a dark shadow, a shadow Dis had often seen in her own kinsmen's eyes.

'I understand. We will reach the caves, I will see to it.' Dis walked back to her people and told them to carry on. Gaia saw no objection or opposition in the dwarves eyes and behaviour and once again she admired the strength of leadership in the Durin line. She saw one of the older dwarves stumble under the weight of his baggage and winced. The rangers were strong, but they had to stay flexible to react to attacks and had to scout their surroundings. None of her rangers could help the dwarves with the weight they carried. Gaia prayed that the stubborness of the dwarves would lead them to the caves safely. They could not afford to lose any more time.

The dwarves reached the caves after nightfall. While the exhausted dwarves collapsed on the ground, Dis told the soldiers to watch the entrance to the caves. Fires would only be lightened in the deep of the caves, to not attract the orcs with light. Gaia and her rangers covered their tracks, set new ones into the opposite direction and kept watch outside of the caves. If the orcs would try to scout for the dwarves in direction of the caves, they would be killed instantly. After a while Gaia decided to look after the dwarves. Apparently the orcs had been taken in by their trick. Dis looked at her in alarm as the female ranger entered the caves.

'Everything is alright.' Gaia told her. 'It seems that the orcs follow the tracks we have laid out for them. It will be morning until they realise that they follow the wrong tracks.'

'Thank you.' Dis let out the breath she was holding. 'Thank you for your help. We are not used to support from men and elves.'

'I know.' Gaia answered, but she quickly bit her lip. Of course she knew what had happened to the dwarves of Erebor after their home had been taken from them. Thorin had told her how they had been let down by their former allies and how they had been treatened by the men whose villages they had passed. The former proud and strong folk of Durin had been treatened like wild people, without any respect or even trust. Thorin himself had labored as a mere blacksmith in the villages of men and many other dwarves had taken work to finance their new home in the Blue Mountains. Gaia was ashamed of the behaviour of the men back then, but now, she and her rangers had the chance to make things right. 'We are the rangers of the West and it is our duty to help those who are in need.'

Gaia wanted to leave, but Dis held her back. 'Please, sit with me for a while. I do have some questions.'

It was not a request, it was an order. Gaia knew that tone in her voice from Thorin. She thought about ignoring it, but then she sat down at the dwarf lady´s side with a sigh.

'At first, I want to know why you are hiding.' Dis asked her straight forward. Gaia froze at her question, she hated lying, but in this case she did not have much of a choice.

'I was unsure of how the dwarves would react to a female ranger. Many men react...taken aback when they see a female warrior.' Gaia told Dis. It was only half a lie. Gaia never revealed her true gender, it made her life more easy. 'Our gender often complicates things. But I am sure that you know what I am talking about.'

'What makes you think that?' of course Dis knew what the ranger was talking about, but she was curious.

'Please correct me if I am wrong, but don´t dwarven females stay behind, hidden in their mountains and if they travel they chose to do so in male clothes?' Gaia smiled and looked down at Dis, who was wearing men´s clothes as well. 'In succession to the thrones of your people, females are ignored, they are not even an option. And, I heard that you introduce yourself as Dis, daughter of Thrain, son of Thror. Aren´t you your mothers daughter as well?'

Gaia bit her lip as soon as her words had left her mouth. She hoped that Dis would not judge her for her open words, but the dwarf princess only looked at her with an amused expression.

'You are correct, mistress ranger. Females only have an inferior role to males in our culture, but thats an official statement. I am considered a leader of my people, as well as my brother Thorin, king under the mountain.' Gaias heart began to sting violently at the mentionning of Thorin. 'I may not be able to sit on the throne, but I can assure you that I can rule as well as any other male member of my family.'

'What would have happened, if all of the male members of your family would...not be able to succeed on the throne?' Gaia knew that it was an insensitive thing to ask, but she was curious. She knew that Thorin, Fili and Kili had only barely escaped death and as far as she knew they had been all the male relatives Dis had left.

'In that case the throne would have fallen into my cousins hands. He is the lord of the Iron Hills and next in Durins line.' Dis sighed. 'I would have had no right to succeed the throne of my father. In this case, you are right, mistress ranger. We females have no official right to rule.'

Gaia nodded and suddenly realised that she was still wearing her cloak and her mask. She struggled for a while, but she did feel ridiculous hiding her face before Dis, know that the dwarf knew about her gender. The female ranger pulled back her cloak and her mask with a sigh.

'I was already wondering if you were deformed or scared for not showing your face, my dear.' Dis smirked at the supposed younger woman. 'You have no need to hide your face.'

'Yes, I do.' Gaia sighed. 'It brings me nothing but trouble.'

Dis nodded in understanding. Beauty could be a blessing for a woman, but also her doom. And the ranger sitting beside her was beautiful. Dis tilted her head and looked at Gaia.

'You would be exactly my brother´s type.' she smirked, but quickly regretted her words as she saw an excrutiating pain in the rangers eyes. The dwarven princess bit her lip and decided to quickly change the subject. 'Do you need reinforcement to take over some the night watch?'

'No.' Gaia cleared her throat. 'Thank you, lady Dis. But your people are exhausted, they will need their rest. My rangers and I will take over the watch. Good night.'

Gaia pulled her cloak deep into her face and left the lady of the dwarves in hurry. Dis frowned as she looked after her. Then, she realised that she had not asked for the name of the female ranger.


	6. Chapter 6

'They have to be here, somewhere!' Thorin was tired and irritated. They had followed the tracks until they had lead to the East. But that did not make any sense. Taking this road was already a delay, moving eastwards would only delay them further for no reason. Thorin was afraid that the orcs had driven his kin into the Misty Mountains and felt helpless. He was their king, he should assure them a safe passage home. But Middle Earth was far from safe at the moment. Dark powers schemed and worked in the shadows, powers Thorin did not understand.

'The tracks are leading to the east and there are orc tracks, too!' Nori informed his king. 'But they do not make any sense. The tracks before were deep and broad, resulting from heavily packed dwarves. These tracks are more slim and they are not deep enough. The person who made them was lighter. Looks like tracks from men.'

'How could the tracks of dwarves turn into tracks of men?' Dwalin asked irritatedly. 'This makes no sense!'

'They can´t just fade to thin air.' Bilbo tried to stay calm. They had to think and not jump to conclusions. 'Maybe they covered their tracks. The rangers use to do this when they do not want to be found.'

The rangers. _Gaia._ Bilbo had wanted to say that covering the tracks had been something Gaia had done various times during their journey, but he quickly bit his tongue. Nevertheless he could see the painful look in Thorins eyes and it hurt him almost as much as it hurt the king.

The next morning the dwarves continued their journey. Madril and about tree dozen rangers had joined them and they had brought horses. The dwarves could dispense some of the baggage onto the horses and could move more quickly while the rangers secured their flanks. Sooner or later they would run into the orcs again, but this time they had the element of surprise because they would run into the orc´s back and this time they were stronger in number. Gaia looked forward to battle. Being near Dis tortured her and she was reminded of Thorin everytime she looked at the dwarf woman. Little did she know, that her torture would soon be at an end and would be replaced by new pain.

'Orcs!' the scout's alarm made the dwarves and rangers jump and jerk out of their thoughts. The rangers going ahead had attacked the orcs from behind and had managed to kill many, but the remaining ones turned towards the dwarves in this moment. The rangers and the dwarven soldiers formed a protecting line in front of the females and children and stood their ground against the filthy creatures immediately. But there was one thing nobody had expected. Wild men from Dunland had joined the orcs and charged at the Dunedain and the dwarves with full force. Their number was not high, but high enough to endanger the soldiers protecting their family and kin.

The rangers losened one arrow after the other on the attacking men and orcs, but soon they were all engaged in an ugly skirmish. Gaia fought off two orcs at once as she saw Dis grab a sword from a fallen dwarf soldier and throw herself into battle. Moving closer to Thorins sister, Gaia fought as hard as she could, but she already saw the orcs gain on Dis. Now she was sure that the orcs were from Azogs pack. The orcs went for Dis like the moths to a flame. Their order was to destroy the line of Durin and that included Dis.

'Over my dead body.' Gaia snarled and fought her way to Dis´side. She kicked one orc and swung her sword against another as she heard a loud battle cry emerging from the hills around them. Her heart stopped as she recognised the voice. Only one could send shivers down one´s spine in the mist of the battle with his war cry. Thorin. Gaia turned around and saw the king under the mountain, as well as Dwalin, Bofur and the brothers Ri charge at the orcs on ponies. Completely frozen, Gaia stared at the attacking dwarves in shock. None of the scouts had reported that the king under the mountain was currently on a journey through Middle Earth. Why had he left his newly reclaimed mountain?

Gaias heart wrenched painfully in her chest as she saw that Bilbo Baggins was riding at the kings side. The poor hobbit grabbed his reins in panic, but he managed to stay on his pony and he swung his letter opener at every orc he passed. So this was why Thorin was here. He had traveled to the Shire to get his burglar back. He had traveled through all of Middle Earth for the hobbit. Gaia could feel her heart turn to stone. She was reminded once again that the friendship between Thorin and Bilbo was stronger than the kings love for her.

Thorin heard the fighting noise before he could even see the battle. As his pony rode over the hill he laid eyes upon his kin, fighting a band of orcs...and wild men. Thorin felt a burning rage boiling in his blood and drew his sword. He would not let anyone attack his kin unpunished. He let out a furious war cry and charged at the orcs with his company. As he rode down the hill he could hear Dwalin roar at his side and could hear Bilbo yelp as his pony followed the other in a murderous speed. In their charge Thorin scanned the battlefield. He realised that the dwarves had help against the orcs and wild men. Dark clad men looking like rangers fought at the side of his kin. Rangers...Thorin felt a sting in his heart as he thought about Gaia for a moment. But he could not let his memory distract him. He had spotted Dis instantly. His sister was fighting many orcs, but they were too many. As Dis was about to be overrun, one of the rangers rushed to her side and protected her flank. Thorin sighed in relief and concentrated on the nearest orcs. He sliced heads of their bodies, hands of their arms and his company followed his lead. After an endless struggle, the dwarves and rangers had won the fight. The surviving orcs fled, leaving behind their wounded. The rangers ended their miserable lives with quick cuts over their throats. Gaia saw Dis reunited with her dwarves and her family. With Thorin. The dwarf king took his sister into his arms and closed his eyes in relief. As he turned to the ranger who had fought as his sisters side, the ranger was gone.

Gaia was breathing heavily as she ran into the woods. As soon as she had realised that she was only moments away from her discovery by Thorin or his company she ran. She was not ready to face Thorin. Or Bilbo. Or the two of them together. They had not been close from the beginning, in fact Gaia had scolded Thorin for the way he had treated the hobbit as they had first met. He had been arrogant, proud and ignorant, impolite and insensitive. He had called Bilbo a grocer and his company had overrun Bilbos home like a horde of oliphants. They had brought mud into the neat and clean home, destroyed the plumming and had eaten everything the hobbit had in his pantry. Gaia had been the only one who had apologised to Bilbo for bringing chaos into his life. The hired burglar had only smiled at her and had thanked her for her sentiment. The woman and the hobbit had gotten along greatly from the beginning of teir journey. Gaia had helped Bilbo to prepare breakfast and to pack some supplies. There was not much left in Bilbos pantry, but it would suffice for the trip to Bree. There, the company would get new supplies. While the dwarves still slept, Bilbo and Gaia had talked.

'_How could prince Thorin get lost twice on his way here? I thought that you and him have come here together? And you should know your way around, you are a ranger.' Bilbo had asked with a cocked brow._

_'We traveled together for a short while, but...' Gaia smirked. 'We had a fight and I left him.'_

_'About what?' Bilbo asked._

_'Nothing in particular.' Gaia sighed. 'We met on the road again, after Thorin came back from this meeting in Ered Luin. As you know, this meeting did not go well. They would not follow him. Thorin was hurt and disappointed and snapped at me a few times, so I left him. Of course, I did not really leave him, I walked away, but followed him in secret. I have never met anyone up until now who had a worse sense for direction. After I had to follow him around Hobbiton for the second time I decided to bring him here.'_

_'And why are you here?' Bilbo could not understand why Gaia accompanied the dwarves. Erebor was not her home, she did not need to risk her life for these dwarves._

_'Why have you decided to help them?' Gaia asked back. 'These dwarves are good people. They have lost their home, it was taken from them. Nobody deserves to wander the wild without calling a place their why I decided to help them.'_

_'And where is your home?' Bilbo looked at the beautiful ranger and frowned worriedly as he saw her frown._

_'I am still searching.' was all Gaia answered._


	7. Chapter 7

The dwarves and the rangers seeked shelter in a abandonned village north of the point where they had been attacked. Alert for more orcs the rangers patrolled the vicinity and secured the dwarves who were far too exhausted to watch their backs and flanks. But now that the king and some of his loyal company had joined them, the dwarves felt hope. The brothers Ri started to look after the females and dwarflings, while Bilbo and Bofur took care of dinner. Thorin and Dwalin sat with Dis and listened to her reports.

'It took you some time to find us, brother. You really have a terrible sense of direction.' Dis teased Thorin.

'At least he did not get lost in the Shire this time.' Bilbo smiled warmly as he saw the frown on Thorins face. The hobbit remembered the thunderous expression on both Thorins and Gaias faces as they arrived at his door the night before they started their journey. It had been obvious that they had been fighting, but nobody had ever asked why. Bilbos gaze wondered over the rangers who passed them for their patrols. Most of them were men, but some had their faces covered and Bilbo could not help but look for a pair of warm brown eyes.

'Are you looking for someone, Master hobbit?' Dis had seen the searching look in Bilbos face and was curious. As she saw Bilbos caught expression and her brothers frown, her curiosity grew. 'What is going on?'

'I was just looking for someone.' Bilbo stuttered and tried to focus on his stew.

'Do you have friends within the rangers? I must say, for a hobbit you know quite a few people.' Dis smiled as Bilbo blushed. 'I must say these men and women are brave and honorable warriors. If you see a female, Master Bilbo, please tell me. I need to thank her, she fought at my side as the orcs attacked us.'

In this moment Thorin chocked on his stew and Bilbos eyes widened in surprise. 'This female ranger...how does she look like?'

'Bilbo!' Thorin glared daggers at the hobbit, but Bilbo ignored him.

'Well...' Dis noticed her brothers discomfort. 'She is just a wee bit taller than I am, she has brown hair bound up into one single braid. Brown eyes, snub nose...why do I get the feeling that you all know her? Thorin?'

Dis suddenly remembered that the female ranger had gotten silent as Dis had talked about Thorin. So they did know each other.

'Who is she?' Dis demanded to know. She got a dull feeling that the pain in the rangers eyes could be the same pain she could see in Thorins eyes right now. But before Bilbo could answer Madril joined the group and adressed Thorin.

'Our scouts have detected an orcpack on the road ahead. We have to be ready for some fighting tomorrow.' the ranger told the king of the dwarves.

Thorin nodded and stood up to alert his kin. 'We will be ready.' turning to Dis and Bilbo he frowned. 'I will hear no more of this. It was Gaias choice to leave.'

With these last words he left to gather his kin. Dis looked at Bilbo in confusion. 'Gaia? Is that her name?' the hobbit nodded. 'What did she do to him? Or maybe I should ask, what has my pigheaded brother done to her?'

Bilbo did not know where to start. He began to tell Dis that the female ranger had joined them on their quest and that she had fought at their side against goblins, Azogs orcs and the elves of Mirkwood. Bilbo had realised that there was something going on between the ranger and Thorin as they had reached Mirkwood and the elves had put the ranger and Thorin into one cell. As Bilbo was wearing his ring he had visited the dwarves, to make sure that they were alright and he had witnessed a moment between Gaia and Thorin, a moment which should have been only theirs.

_Gaia was sitting against the bars and listened to the singing of the elves who celebrated above them. It was a beautiful song, but the sound of Thorins boots stomping onto the hard ground of the cell made her nervous._

_'You want to escape by pacing a whole into the ground?' Gais asked dryly. 'Stop this for the Valar´s sake, you are driving me crazy.'_

_Thorin only glared at her and continued pacing. 'Don´t tell me what to do, woman.'_

_'I will speak as I please, dwarf.' Gaia spit back and made Thorin stop._

_'Are we going to have the same argument like before we reached the Shire?' Thorin growled._

_'Maybe, at least this time I do not need to guide your majestic arse all the way to Hobbiton.' Gaia sneered and froze as she heard laughter coming from the other cells._

_'Did she just call him a majestic arse?' they could hear Fili whisper._

_'I think so.' Kili whispered back. 'She is so dead.'_

_'You know that we can actually hear you?' Gaia asked them through the bars of her cell. At first there was deadly silence and then Kili answered nonchalant._

_'Of course, but its you who is in a cell with uncle, not us. We are safe.' Thorins youngest nephew tried to sound certain, but Kili was too honest to pull such a bluff. Nevertheless his answer made Gaia chuckle. She adored Thorins nephews, for they always made her laugh. Their carefree minds were a drastic contrast to the grief struck soul of their uncle. But this time Gaia chose to ignore the playful teasing of Thorins nephews. She turned to Thorin and frowned._

_'You could have gotten us out of here, but NO! You had to tell Thranduil that you wished to pour excrement onto his head! For goodness sake!' Gaia stood up and did her own pacing now._

_'That tree shagger had no honor! He deserved no other answer.' Thorin growled._

_'Anything that could have gotten us out fo here would have been better than this - how are we ever supposed to get out of here?' Gaia was furious by now. 'And as if that was not bad enough, I am stuck here with you! You insufferable, stubborn piece of ...'_

_Gaias ramble was cut short by Thorins lips on hers. The dwarf king had pulled her close and kissed her. He had acted on impulse to shut her up, but as his lips met hers he knew that he had wanted to do this all along. At first Gaia fought against the close contact, but soon she relaxed and melted into the dwarves arms. Her hands, at first fighting his chest, moved over his shoulders into his hair. Their lips relaxed and the kiss grew softer._

_Bilbo stood in front of the bars to their cell, unsure wether to grin or stutter as Kilis whisper sounded throught the dungeons._

_'Did he kill her?'_

'She loves him?' Dis whispered and suddenly the pain in the rangers eyes made sense to her. Being with dwarves again, together with the sister of the dwarf she loved, who looked so much like him must have been torture for the woman. 'What happened then? Why did she leave? And why doesn´t she want to see my brother?'

'Well...' Bilbo didn´t like gossip, but Dis had the right to know and she would find out everything she wanted to know anyway. 'Thorin - he was not himself as we reached Erebor.'

'He banished you for treason, he wrote it to me. He did not write one word about her.' Dis stated calmly.

'Gaia saved me and tried to kick some reason into him.' Bilbo smiled despite the haunting memory. 'Thorin was about to throw me over the cliff as Gaia stepped between us and prevented him from letting me fall down onto the rocks. His madness and hatred turned towards her and he banished her with me.'

'But that was not when she left?' Dis could guess.

'Gaia left after the battle. Together with Tauriel - and please do not ask me about Tauriel - she defended Thorin, Fili and Kili and was badly injured. The elves had to take care of her, but after Thorin awoke she had left. I do not know why. Maybe the hurt was too deep. I do not know.' Bilbo shook his head and sighed. he really did not know what had happened.

'Did my brother even try to get her back?' Dis wanted to know. As Bilbo shook his head Dis stood up and walked over to her brother, giving him a hard smack on the back of his head. At that Bilbo, as well as a dark figure standing in the nearby woods, had to smirk.


	8. Chapter 8

Deep into the night Thorin sat at the fire, wide awake and unable to find any sleep. He could not stop thinking about Gaia and why she had disappeared as his company had joined the dwarves. Dis had asked Madril about Gaias whereabouts, but the other ranger had just shrugged his shoulders and told her that Gaia was probably out scouting. Gaia was good at hiding when she did not want to be found, even in Erebor, his own mountain, she had managed to hide from him.

_Thorin had told Gaia to stay in his old chambers, in case the dragon came back. Smaug had just left for Laketown and Thorin worried sick about his nephews. Instead of finding comfort in the arms of the woman he loved he had been drawn to the gold in the treasury. The whisper of the gold was the only thing that was louder than the whispers in his head, telling him that he had killed his nephews by waking the dragon. On his way to the treasury Thorin had the feeling that he was being followed. He turned around various times, but he could not see anything but dark and silent corridors. As he reached the treasury he ran into Gaia._

_'How did you...?' Thorin was too surprised to be mad. The ranger had run him down in his own mountain._

_'Come back with me, Thorin.' Gaia asked him softly. She was aware that Thorin was under the influence of the goldsickness, Balin had told her about this curse of the line of Durin. 'Please. I need you...the others need you.'_

_'I told you to wait in my old rooms.' Thorin frowned at the woman. 'Go back.'_

_'I don´t want to go back. I will stay here, with you.' Gaia insisted._

_But Thorin did not want her to stay. He wanted to spend the time in treasury alone, alone with the gold. Doubts and confusion clouded Thorins mind for a moment. Why did he want to be with the gold, the cold and pale coins, instead of in the arms of the woman he loved? But the gold whispered to him and cast out his reason._

_'Leave me.' Thorin growled and glared at Gaia menacingly. The woman took a step back and let Thorin pass, but Thorin felt her eyes on his back for the rest of the evening. He knew that she had not left him. It was the same feeling he had felt when she had abandonned him on the road to the Shire. After their fight she had left, but he had felt her presence in his vicinity._

And he felt her now. Thorin stared into the forest and tried to identify some of the moving shadows of the rangers. None of them moved with the catlike grace like Gaia did. He was thinking about walking into the forest and look for her, but in this moment Bilbo sat down beside him and held him back.

'Why are you staring holes into the forest?' the hobbit smirked at his friend and king.

'She is out there.' Thorin murmured. 'I can feel it. I can feel her eyes on me.'

'Gaia will come back to you. I am sure.' Bilbo insisted as Thorin shook his head. 'She protected your sister and your kin. She would not have done that if she...if she thought that there is no hope left for you two.'

'Then why is she hiding?' Thorin looked back into the flames of the fire. 'Why can´t she face me?'

'She will. But she will chose the moment.' the hobbit stated firmly. Thr king of the dwarves chuckled as he turned to his friend.

'I knew that it was a good idea to ask you to be my advisor.' Thorin smiled at the hobbit and patted his arm.

Neither the king of the dwarves, nor the hobbit could see the pair of brown eyes turn to slits in the dark of the forest.

The following days passed silently and without any attack. But the further north the caravan was heading, the greater the risk of an attack became. The orcs and wild men had hidden fortresses in the north of the Misty Mountains and orc reinforcement from Gundabad was also near. The dark threat in form of the necromancer in Dol Guldur also hung over the lands of Middle Earth. Gandalf had planned to inform the kings and leaders about the unknown threat, but so far no word about the necromancer had left the wizards mouth.

Two weeks later, at the rim of Mirkwood, Gaia and her scouts ran into a pack of orcs led by Azog. They managed to kill some of them, but the orcpack retreated quickly, before Gaia had the chance to get close to Azog. The pale orc was driven by hatred and the urge to avenge the death of his son in the Battle of the Five Armies. His plan to destroy the line of Durin was fiercer than ever before. Gaia thanked the Valar that at least Fili and Kili were safe in Erebor, but their uncle and mother would have to pass the pale orcs wrath. Gaia had a bad feeling about the quick retreat of the pale orc and his pack and decided to go back to warn the others. Azog planned something, he was too sure of himself. Sighing heavily Gaia and the scouts moved back south, towards the caravan of dwarves and towards Thorin.

They reached the caravan one day later. Madril and the mounted rangers had managed to split up most of the baggage onto the horses and ponies and the dwarves were not as exhausted as the weeks before and marched on more quickly. Gaia looked for Madril immediately and walked over to him.

'Gaia!' Madril was happy to see his friend again, but frowned as Gaia held a finger over mouth to gesture him to be quiet. 'Whats wrong?'

'Nothing, I just don´t want...never mind.' Gaia sighed.

'You are not showing your face to the dwarves. Don´t think I haven´t noticed that.' Madril scolded her. 'You are silent and inattentive in their presence. I will not ask you why, but you should be careful. A ranger caught off guard is a danger to all of us.'

'I´m sorry.' Gaia knew that he was right. But she could not tell him why she wanted to stay undetected. 'Madril, we spotted the pale orc about a days ride to the north. He only had a small pack with him, but I am sure that he has set up another trap for us. We have to be prepared.'

Madril nodded and looked back at the dwarves. 'As long as we are not outnumbered and surprised, we should be safe. The orcs are scathered, they still are high at number, but they will not attack us in a well planned attack plan. Its not the way orcs fight.'

'I hope you are right.' Gaia frowned. 'We have to protect the king and his sister. The pale orc is after them. Especially after them.'

'How do you know?' Madril asked, but then shook his head. 'I trust your opinion. We will have an eye on them.'

With these words Madril turned away to his fellow rangers and gave them new instructions. Gaia felt like an idiot as he left. He was her friend and he trusted her. She on the other hand did not trust him enough to tell him why she did not want to be seen by the dwarves. Caught in her thoughts Gaia jumped as Dis´voice spoke up right beside her.

'You are inattentive, mistress ranger.' Dis stated with an amused expression. 'Even a heavy and burly dwarf like my brother could have sneaked up on you.'

Dis was the second person in a short moment who told Gaia that she had been unattentive and Gaia wanted to kick herself for being as open as a book.

'He is the reason, isn´t he?' Dis wanted answers, she was tired of Thorins grumpiness and the sadness in his eyes when he scanned the rangers for this woman. 'What has he done to you?'

Gaia looked at Dis in surprise. She was sure that the princess had been informed about Thorins goldsickness and its aftermath, but for some reason she felt the urge to tell Dis what was really bothering her. Gaia felt connected to Dis, she trusted her from the moment she had met her. Gaia had trusted Thorin the moment she had met him, as well as Fili and Kili, although the term trust would be out of place with Fili and Kili. Gaia adored them from the start, that would put it better. Unsure about wether to tell Dis the truth or not, Gaia only heard the arrows after some had hit their targets. A rain of black arrows came down on the caravan, hitting the surprised dwarves and rangers. Five dwarves and three rangers were down after the first attack and the rest tried to find cover. Thorin and his company, as well as Gaia and Dis were unharmed and tried to shove the others to cover. After three salves of arrows were shot the orcs retreated again and the surviving dwarves and rangers looked after the wounded. Two dwarves were dead and one ranger. The dead ranger was clad in black leather and his face was covered in a hood. One horrible moment Thorin thought that it was Gaia laying there in her own blood and he rushed over to the ranger, pulling his hood off. The king had to supress a choked sob as he saw that it was not Gaia, but a young man. He softly closed the young man's eyes and stepped back. The wounded needed to be taken care of and some rangers had followed the orcs to hunt some of them down. Dis wanted to follow the orcs with a small troop of dwarves as Gaia came rushing to her side.

'You stay here!' she stated firmly and made Dis sneer.

'You seem to have adapted my brothers commanding tone, but even Thorin does not dare to speak to me that way.' Dis snarled.

'These orcs are after you. After you and your family. The pale orc who leads this pack wants you dead.' Gaia told the princess. 'They only wait for you to follow them and they will kill you.'

'They can try.' Dis stated and tried to push past Gaia, but the female ranger blocked her path. 'Get out of my way, Gaia.'

Gaia felt as if Dis had slapped her in the face. Hearing her name out of Thorins sisters mouth made her strong fassade crumble and Gaia felt weak. But she would not let another Durin get his way out of stubborness.

'No.' Gaia did not move. 'You will stay here where we at least have the chance of protecting you. Fili and Kili are waiting for you in Erebor. Don't you want to see them again?'

Dis swallowed hard at the mention of her sons and lowered her gaze. None of the two women saw Thorin stand a few steps behind them, watching the scene in awe. Gaia had challenged his sister. And lived to tell the tale.

'Gaia.' Thorin could only whisper. 'Gaia.'


	9. Chapter 9

Gaias and Thorins eyes met for a brief moment before Gaia turned on her heels and pulled her cloak over her head. Bilbo was the one who rushed after the woman and caught up with her at the head of the column. As he called her name Gaia turned around, but the icy look in her eyes made Bilbo stop in his tracks.

'Go back to your king, burglar.' Gaia sneered and left a petrified hobbit behind.

Bilbo was still standing there and looked after her as Thorin arrived at his side.

'What is it? You look as of you have just seen a balrog.' Thorin frowned at his friend.

'She...she has changed.' Bilbo stammered. Gaia had always scolded Thorin for not using his name when he adressed Bilbo. And now she had called him burglar. It was as if she and Thorin had changed souls. Before the quest Gaia had been his friend while Thorin had done his best to ignore him. Now it was the other way around. The look in Gaias eyes as she had looked at him had scared Bilbo the most. Gaia was not the friend he knew anymore.

_'You should not have told them who you are.' Gaia told Thorin after he had revealed to the people of Laketown who he was. 'You gave them hope. False hope. What if we cannot defeat Smaug? What if he takes revenge on these innocent people?'_

_'We will kill the dragon. And we will reclaim Erebor.' Thorin insisted. 'Are you doubting me?'_

_'I do not doubt you.' Gaia stated softly. Thorins ego had been pushed by the reaction of the people of Laketown. All he had ever dreamed of had come true. He was acknowledged as king and his journey as a prince in asylum was over. All of Laketown was celebrating, but Gaia could not. At least not yet._

_The company enjoyed the feast and especially the wine and brandy. Gaia began feeling dizzy and retreated to her room. She could feel Thorins eyes on her back and she turned around to look into his burning gaze. Since Mirkwood Thorin and Gaia had gotten close, but the presence of the company had prevented them from deepening their relationship. Gaia longed for Thorin and she knew that he wanted her, too. They were not courting yet and getting intimate would be wrong, but Gaias words clouded both their minds. What if the quest would go wrong? What if Smaug would kill them all? This last evening in Laketown gave them the chance to be together without the others interfering. Gaia shook her head to clear her mind, the alcohol had clouded her reason and she scolded herself for drinking that much. She could hear heavy steps behind her and knew that Thorin was following her. Strong arms wrapped around her from behind and Gaia smiled, pushing all her doubts away._

Gaia woke up from her daydream as she saw the Lonely Mountain rising in front of them. They had traveled for weeks without encountering any more orcs. And they had almost reached Erebor. Gaia had watched Thorin and Bilbo and had pushed Thorin away everytime he tried to speak to her. She felt more lost every day. One day, a week before they would reach Erebor, she decided to speak to to Dwalin.

'I already wondered when ya would show up. I told Thorin that ya would come when ya were ready.' the bald dwarf frowned at Gaia. 'It took ya longer than I had expected.'

Gaia lowered her gaze and sighed. She did not know how to start. 'I missed you all. Very much.'

'We missed ya, too.' Dwalin stated, but he was interrupted by Gaias snort.

'You travelled through half of Middle Earth to get your precious burglar back. None of you searched for me.' Gaia stated bitterly. 'Thorin asked for the halfling as he woke from his fever after the Battle od the Five Armies. Not for me. And you are honestly saying that he missed me?'

Dwalin understood. He was not married, nor had he ever had a relationship to a woman. His first duty had always been Thorin and the royal family. But he knew which feelings could destroy people. Feelings such as grief, hatred and jealousy. He could see all of these emotions in Gaias eyes. He stopped walking and grabbed Gaias shoulders.

'Thorin loves ya. But he knows that there is no excuse for the way he treated ya. Even after he had banished ya for no reason ya stayed loyal to him. He punishes himself in forcing himself to live without ya.' Dwalin tried to explain.

'He punishes himself? He came for the halfling and he seems happy with the halfling.' Gaia shook her head. 'I will not stand in their way.'

'Ya're mad if ya think for one minute that there is more than friendship between Thorin and Bilbo.' Dwalin looked at Gaia in astonishement. 'What happened to ya?'

Gaia could not answer Dwalins question, for she did not know what had happened to her either. She wanted to believe Dwalin, she wanted to believe that Thorin still loved her, but she could not.

'If Thorin loved me then he would have asked for me on his deathbed and he would have come for me. But he did not.' Gaia answered. 'I have fought his madness and I have fought for him in battle. But I cannot fight anymore.'

'If ya would love him ya would be with him now instead of hiding behind the halfling.' Dwalin growled. 'This goes both ways. I already thought that Thorin was a fool, but ya're no better.'

With these words Dwalin stormed away and left Gaia behind. The female ranger was stunned, but soon a smile graced her lips. She had needed this verbal kick.

They reached Erebor three weeks before Durins Day. Thorin could not believe that almost one year had passed already. One year ago Thorin and Gaia had been in love and happy. Happy, despite of all the perils they had to face. Now Thorin had his mountain back, as well as his crown, but he had lost Gaia. Dwalin had told him why Gaia kept her distance. Bilbo had tried to talk to Gaia, but she had only glared daggers at him and had walked away.

'You are not only punishing yourself, Thorin. You are punishing her as well.' Bilbo had snarled at him one day ago. 'You may feel that you do not deserve her, but she still loves you. You must be blind if you do not see it!'

Dis and Dwalin both tried to talk some sense into the king, but Thorin was lost. As lost as Gaia was.


	10. Chapter 10

In the meantime they had reached the borders to the kingdom of Erebor. The dwarves were overwhelmed and started rushing towards the gates. Gaia could see Dis running into the arms of her sons. Tears ran down her cheeks as she watched the family reunion and she turned away. Gaia was standing on non-ereborian territory, for Thorin had not lifted her banishment. She would not cross the border into the lands of her love without his approval. Gaia was about to walk away as she was grabbed from behind. Her instincts kicked in and she started fighting. But the grip on her was like an iron fist around her arms.

'Gaia, stop...' it was Thorins voice whispering into her ear from behind and Gaia stopped struggling instantly. Breathing heavily she turned around and looked right into the blue eyes of the king. 'Why are you leaving?'

'You banished me, don't you remember?' Gaia tried to free herself from Thorins grip, but the dwarf was stronger than her.

'I was not myself. You know that.' Thorin frowned at her. 'Look at me! I am free from the goldsickness and I have you to thank for it. It was your love that cured me, your love that protected me from Bolg. I am alive because of you. I have never thanked you properly.'

Gaia was about to say something, but Thorin held up his hands. 'I have lived with the knowledge that I would never see you again, but I did not know why. Dwalin told me what I did to hurt you so deeply. I am sorry, Gaia. I did not realise that I was not only punishing myself, but also hurting you. Bilbo and I...no, listen to me!' he grabbed Gaias wrists to keep her from running. 'Bilbo and I share only friendship. Nothing more. You have to believe me.'

Gaia shook her head. She was about to turn away as she felt her feet leave the ground. 'Thorin?! What on earth! Let me down!'

The female ranger kicked and screamed as the dwarf king threw her over his shoulders and walked towards Erebors gate.

'You insufferable dwarf! Let me down!' Gaia fought, but Thorin only tightened his grip on her. He walked past Madril and the other rangers who only stared at them in surprise. Two rangers tried to rush to Gaias aide, but Madril held them back with a smirk. In the past weeks he had noticed the looks between Gaia and Thorin and he had guessed that it was the dwarf who was responsible for Gaias behaviour in the last year. He had talked to the brothers Ri and the oldest, Dori, had told him that Gaia had helped them to reclaim their home. The brothers had been devastated that Gaia would not talk to them, but they had been sure that only the hurt feelings of the woman had caused this rift between them. Madril had listened to Doris story and nodded in understanding. At least he knew the reason for his friends odd behaviour. Now everything would turn to the better. He hoped.

'Fili, Kili.' Thorin passed by his sister and his sister sons with a struggling Gaia still on his shoulders.

'That looks like Gaias behind.' Gaia heard Kili say and growled angrily. But then she heard a loud smack and Kilis yelp and Gaia grinned.

'Thank you, Dis!' she yelled.

'You are welcome, my dear!' Dis yelled back and Gaia could hear her grin.

Gaia saw the dark shadow of the mountain surround her and closed her eyes. She had no good memory of that mountain and she did not want to return to this dreadful place. As Thorin finally let her down she stood before his chambers.

'I cannot stay here...' Gaia started, but her protest was - once again- silenced by Thorins lips on hers. Her resistance started to crumble, but Gaia was not ready to give in.

'Please, just listen to me.' Thorin released her lips and looked at her pleadingly. 'Forgive me. Please. I was a fool for doing this to you. I am so sorry. I could not understand that you had forgiven me. What I did to you was unforgivable and cruel. And still you stayed loyal to me. I could not understand.'

'I loved you.' Gaia whispered.

Thorin winced at Gaias use of the past. He swallowed hard and let go of her arms. 'I see.'

'And I still love you.' Gaia sighed. 'But I cannot go on as if nothing happened. My feelings for you made me reject all my friends. My fellow rangers as well as Dori, Nori, Ori, Bofur, Dwalin...and Bilbo. I behaved terribly. I cannot forgive myself for...'

Suddenly Gaia could not breathe anymore. She could not forgive herself and this stopped her from being herself. She was hurting people who meant most to her. She did the same Thorin had done. With a chocked sob she leaned against the door.

'We are both idiots.' she whispered. 'Such great idiots.'

'By Durins beard, it took ya long enough!' Dwalin barged into their private moment with his hands in the air. 'Are ya done being stupid now? Good!'

Gaia looked at her reflection in the mirror in horror. 'You got to be joking!'

'You look wonderful, dear!' Dis exclaimed and rubbed her hands. Tonight, Erebor would celebrate the arrival of the first dwarves from the Blue Mountains. Dis had arranged that a wonderful gown was brought for Gaia from Dale and had forced the female ranger into it.

'I look like...like a...' Gaia stammered in shock.

'Like a woman! It was about time.' Dis grinned. Gaia looked beautiful. The dwarf princess had chosen a dark blue dress which flowed around Gaias body perfectly. Gaias hair fell down her shoulders and around her waist in long brown streaks. Giving her no time to think about anything else, Dis took her hand and rushed to the great hall. She practically pushed the ranger through the door before entering herself. Gaia froze on the spot at the sight of the many dwarves and men from Dale. She saw lord Bard and his children and also Madril and his rangers. Dis was already gone and Gaia made her way through the great hall to join her friends. Madril looked at her with a suprised expression.

'You look...' Madril was searching for words.

'Like a woman? Thank you.' Gaia frowned at him as Madril grinned at her and nodded.

'You look beautiful. If the dwarf does not take you back I will...' Madril grinned brightly as Gaia gapped at him in shock.

'Gaia!' Fili and Kili rushed towards her and threw their arms around her. 'We missed you so much! We nearly did not recognise you!'

Gaia found herself trapped between two Durins and fought for air. As Thorins nephews released her she had to fight her supressed emotions. She had not been aware of how much she had missed them.

'I am glad to see you, too. Your mother is so proud of you both...I would not mention Tauriel for some time though, Kili.' Gaia smirked.

Speaking of Tauriel, Gaia had seen some elves in the great hall and she had to thank the female elf for healing her wounds after the battle.

'Tauriel is over there. With him.' Kili groaned and pointed to a corner. Tauriel stood there, clad in a silver silken gown and was standing at Legolas side. Gaia smiled at Kilis obvious jealousy and moved her hand to his shoulder.

'Don't be jealous, Kili.' Gaia stated quietly. 'It will only destroy your love.'

'Look, who is talking.' Madril smirked at his friend and earned a playful slap on his arm. Gaia excused herself and walked over to Tauriel. Legolas smiled and excused himself to give the two women some privacy and walked over to a pouting Kili. After an awkward moment the two dwarven princes, the elf prince and the ranger went to grab a pint of ale and joined the celebration.

Thorin looked around at the gathering of his family, friends and guests in the great hall and searched for Gaias familiar face. He saw his nephews, the dearves of his company, Dis and Bilbo, but he did not find Gaia. The king of Erebor sighed and told himself that she would not come as his gaze fell on a beautiful woman standing beside Tauriel. Thorin nearly let go of his goblet as he saw Gaia in the dress in the color of Durin. He knew that the dress had been Dis doing before he heard her chuckling at his side.

'Go over to her, before someone else realises what a rare jewel she is.' Dis told her brother. Thorin took a deep breath and walked over to Gaia and Tauriel with slow steps. Tauriel saw him first and bowed deeply.

'King Thorin.' Tauriel greeted him formaly.

'Captain.' Thorin bowed his head before the elf. He would never grant Thranduil such an honor, but Tauriel had saved his life and the lives of his nephews, together with Gaia. The ranger looked at him with big eyes before she also bowed silently. Thorin took Gaias hand and kissed it softly, causing Tauriel to smile.

'Please excuse me.' Tauriels smile grew wider as she walked back to grant them some privacy.

'You look beautiful, Gaia.' Thorin whispered and made Gaia blush. Even after all this time his gaze made her nervous.

'You look handsome.' Gaia winced mentally at her clumsy answer and her gaze drifted to Thorins crown. The king guessed what had caught Gaias attention and felt remorse that his coronation had been held without her at his side. 'You have everything you ever wanted. Your home, your crown...' Gaia stated quietly. 'I am so happy for you.'

'There is still one thing missing.' Thorin held up his hand as the music started. 'Please dance with me.'

'You are the king of Erebor. You should dance with the princesses and ladies in this room.' Gaia stated sadly.

'Yes, I am the king of Erebor.' Thorin smiled warmly. 'And I chose to dance with the woman I love.'

Gaia bit her lip as she heard these words out of Thorins mouth. Tears filled her eyes and she had to fight back a sob. She felt as if caught in a dream as she took Thorins hand and walked to the dancefloor at Thorins side. Thorins company, Dis and Bilbo watched as the king and future queen of Erebor swirled over the dancefloor and the Maker sighed heavily in relief. Bringing these two together was harder than he had expected. The woman was as stubborn as any dwarf, he could have spared himself the trouble and could have chosen a dwarf for Thorin Oakenshield from the start. But the love between the dwarf and the ranger warmed the Makers heart and he happily leaned back and took a look at their future. A wonderful future full of happiness and peace. Azog would never endanger the line of Durin ever again, for he had fallen into the paws of the last skin changer in Middle Earth, who had sworn to have his revenge for the death of his entire kin by the hands of the pale orc. Azogs orcs were more scathered than ever before and the dark shadow over Middle Earth retreated to Dol Guldur. It would take decades for the darkness to fall over Middle Earth again, but then Thorin and Gaia, as well as Erebor would be ready to face it again.

The End.

**Thank you so much for your reviews, favs and follows! :********


End file.
